358 THE HOLARCTIC REGION. [CHAP. 



In the Carnivora, the striped hyaena, which is also an inhabitant 

 of India, is widely spread in this sub-region, ranging through 

 western Asia to northern Africa. The common genet (Genetta 

 vulgaris\ which belongs to a genus otherwise exclusively Ethio- 

 pian, is mainly confined to this region, inhabiting southern France, 

 Spain, Turkey, North Africa, and Palestine. A nearly similar 

 distribution characterises the common mungoose, or ichneumon 

 (Herpestes ichneumon], which frequents southern Spain, Asia 

 Minor, North Africa, and Palestine. The large weasel (Mustela 

 africanus) common to Egypt, Malta, and perhaps the south of 

 Italy has been already referred to in an earlier part of this chapter. 

 In addition to Ctenodactylus, the rodents possess another and more 

 widely-spread generic type confined to this sub-region in the form 

 of the great mole-rat (Spalax typhlus), whose range includes south- 

 eastern Europe, Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt. In the 

 same order the common porcupine (ffystrix cristata], although 

 ranging into West Africa, is found but little, if at all, to the north 

 of the present sub-region, where it is common to northern Africa 

 and southern Europe. 



Among the ungulates the addax antelope (Addax nasomacu- 

 lata\ although allied to Ethiopian types, is solely Mediterranean, 

 its home being North Africa and Syria. More closely allied to 

 the Ethiopian fauna are certain hartebeests of the genus Bubalis, 

 the smaller of which (B. mauritanica] is common to North Africa, 

 Syria, and Arabia, while the second {B, major] inhabits Tunis. 

 The same is the case with the Beatrix antelope (Oryx beatrix] 

 of Western Arabia and Bushire. In gazelles, this sub-region is 

 remarkably rich, doubtless from the number of sandy or desert 

 tracts it contains. Algeria is the habitat of the three species 

 known as Gazella loderi, G. kevella, and G. rufina, while G. 

 dorcas ranges through Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Palestine, and a part 

 of Asia Minor, and G. subgutturosa roams from Persia through 

 Afghanistan and Turkestan. The aberrant sheep known as the 

 arui (Ovis tragelaphus] is now restricted to North Africa; and the 

 mouflon (O. musimon), although its fossil remains have been found 

 on the Continent, appears to be now restricted to Corsica. An- 

 other species peculiar to the sub-region is the Armenian sheep 

 (O. gmelini) of eastern Persia and Asia Minor, represented by a 



